U.S. asks Poland to extradite filmmaker Roman PolanskiJanuary 7, 2015 - 19:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Poland has been asked to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski to the United States, where he is wanted on 1977 charges of sex with a minor, an official said Wednesday, Jan 7, according to the Associated Press. Spokesman for the prosecutor general, Mateusz Martyniuk, told the AP that the request from Los Angles prosecutors was being forwarded to Krakow, where Polanski's case is handled. In October, Krakow prosecutors refused a U.S. request to arrest Polanski, 81, but questioned him and obliged him to turn up on every summons. Polanski was in Warsaw for the opening of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and then traveled to Krakow, his childhood city. The Oscar-winning director plans to a movie on the Dreyfus affair, the early 20th century French spy scandal, in Poland in February and March. One of Polanski's lawyers, Jerzy Stachowicz, said Wednesday that the team would contest the extradition bid. Martyniuk said that as a rule Poland does not extradite its citizens. In December, a judge in Los Angeles rejected Polanski's bid for a new hearing. Paris-born to Polish Jewish parents, Polanski spent his childhood and youth in Poland but lives in France. He holds Polish and French passports, but his movements are restricted by an Interpol warrant in effect in 188 countries. He travels freely between Switzerland, France and Poland. Polanski pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse, and was sentenced to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. He was released after 42 days and, fearing the judge would force him to serve the remainder of the sentence, he fled from the United States. In 2010 Switzerland refused to extradite Polanski, though he spent 290 days in jail or under house arrest while the case was considered. Polanski won an Academy Award for best director for his 2002 film "The Pianist" and was nominated for 1974's "Chinatown" and 1979's "Tess." His "Knife in the Water" was nominated in 1963 for the best foreign language film Oscar. Related links: Top stories Ara Aivazian said Azerbaijan continues the traditions of Turkey after seizing territories and forced Armenians out. The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. Partner news | Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. |